| A | B |
|---|
| interrupt request line (IRQ) | a signal informing a CPU that an event that needs its attention has occurred--sent over a hardware line to the microprocessor |
| network interface card (NIC) | a printed circuit board that plugs into a motherboard and provides network communication capabilities to and from a personal computer |
| boot instructions | stored in ROM, until they are sent out |
| software applications | stored in RAM after they have been loaded |
| RAM and ROM | constantly talk to the CPU through the bus |
| saved information | flows from RAM to some form of storage device |
| transistor | device that amplifies a signal or opens and closes a circuit |
| integrated circuit (IC) | device made of semiconductor material; contains many transistors and performs a specific task |
| resistor | device made of material which opposes the flow of electric current |
| capacitor | electronic component that stores energy in the form of an electrostatic field; it consists of two conducting metal plates separated by an insulating material |
| connector | the part of a cable that plugs into a port or interface |
| light emitting diode (LED) | semiconductor device which emits light when a current passes through it |
| CPU | Processor |
| Memory | RAM, ROM, Flash, EPROM |
| Interface | Serial or parallel peripheral connectors on back plane of computer |
| backplane | the large circuit board that contains sockets for expansion cards |
| network card | an expansion board inserted into a computer so that the computer can be connected to a network |
| video card | a board that plugs into a PC to give it display capabilities |
| sound card | an expansion board that enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds |
| parallel port | an interface capable of transferring more than one bit simultaneously and which is used to connect external devices such as printers |
| serial port | an interface that can be used for serial communication, in which only 1 bit is transmitted at a time |
| mouse port | a port designed for connecting a mouse to a PC |
| power cord | cord used to connect an electrical device to an electrical outlet in order to provide power to the device |
| bus | Common physical signal path composed of wires or other media across which signals can be sent from one part of a computer to another |
| Random-access memory (RAM) | Volatile memory that can be read and written by a microprocessor. |
| Read-only memory (ROM) | Nonvolatile memory that can be read, but not written, by the microprocessor. |
| jumper | a metal bridge that closes an electrical circuit |
| EPROM | memory that retains its contents until it is exposed to ultraviolet light |
